It looks like Garmin finally remembered that it has an aviation unit and flooded my inbox with information about no less than six new improvements and aviation units. However, since a majority of you tend to focus more on handheld and automotive GPS units, I thought I’d go over it all in one post to keep things nice and simple.
Here is a brief overview of some of the new aviation features and updates:
- Garmin GTN 650/750 Touchscreen Series Get Expanded Features – Garmin announced that it has introduced some new customer-requested features and enhancements for its popular GTN 650/750 Touchscreen Series including the ability to create and execute customized holding patterns, search and rescue patterns as well as animated NEXRAD weather imagery. This free software update also includes various enhanced navigation functions that that are already included in the popular Garmin Integrated Flight decks including Instrument Approach Procedures. For more information, click here.
- Garmin Expands Connext Wireless Cockpit Ecosystem Compatibility – Garmin has officially expanded the Connext Ecosystem to include additional compatibility with ForeFlight Mobile, Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck and Garmin aera 796/795 aviation portable GPS units. Read more about it here.
- Garmin Adds G3X Touch Functionality and 3 New Products for Experimental, Light Aircraft – Garmin has added some new tech designed for various different light sport or amateur experimental aircraft this week. I’m not going to try and summarize any more than that because I’m not a pilot, but you can check out specifics on Garmin’s site.
- Garmin Pilot Adds Logbook – Garmin has added an automatic logbook to its iOS Garmin Pilot application. This logbook is built-in and will provide automatic record keeping of commonly recorded data such as date, flight duration, number of landings and take offs and more. Garmin Pilot will also now include a Nearest Navigation functionality. Click here to read more about it.
- Garmin Introduces new All Digital Audio Panel – Garmin announced a new all-digital bluetooth-enabled audio panel to help pilots decrease heads-down time and increase pilot awareness in the cockpit. The panel are designed for fixed-wing aircraft and incorporate access to music, phone, Garmin Pilot alerts and more. Read about it here.
- Garmin Announces VIRB XE Aviation cameras – Last, but not least, Garmin officially added a new unit to its action camera line. The VIRB XE Aviation camera is designed to capture high-definition video. For more information on it, click here.
Whew! That wasn’t too bad! Garmin’s aviation segment is one of the slower-growing pieces of this multi-national GPS tehchnology corporation, but it’t nice to see signs of life from time to time. Garmin has been fast at work the last few months with more than a dozen new announcements and products. I dare anyone to say that GPS is dying out!!
Stay tuned for more news tomorrow!!
